Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Angel Did not Write down the Names of Those Who Took Communion with Unconfessed Sins

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Rufinus the Presbyter. "Living of Desert Fathers." (translated from Russian) We cannot pass over in silence the inhabitants...

False Joy

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Letters of Saint Ambrose of Optina. Praise and thanksgiving to the Lord for due to all-powerful petitions and prayer intercession of O...

Most of the Ascetics Are Temporarily or Permanently in Delusion

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Letters of  Hegumen Nikon (Vorobyov) to Spiritual Children. Letter 132 Dear ... ! 10 days have already passed since I received your...

How to Pray

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Letters of the Valaam Elder Schema-hegumen John (Alexeev). Schema-hegumen John (Alexeev) 01.07.1954 It is very sad to hear that ...
Wednesday, April 4, 2012

False Angel Tried to Deceive Saint Pachomius

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From the Living of Saint Pachomius the Great. Chapter XLVIII On one occasion when he shut himself away from everyone in solitude, the ...

Do Not Wish Other People to Know Your Good Deeds

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Saint Theophan the Recluse. "Thoughts for Each Day of the Year". St. Theophan the Recluse [Gal. 2:6-10; Mark 5:22-24, 35-6...

A Sinner Should Always Turn Away Any Visions

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Saints Barsanuphius and John the Prophet. "Letters". Letter 414. Question: "If a sinner should acquire certain visions, shou...

A Nun Started to Cure a Possessed Woman

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The Letters of Saint Ambrose of Optina. You still worry about one of your letters thinking that I haven’t received it, while it contain...

Self-conceit of a Scientist

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Skhema-Hegumen Savva (Ostapenko). "The Experience of Formation of the True World View." Skhema-Hegumen Savva (Ostapenko) ...

Pride after Praying - a Sign of Help from the Demons

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Saints Barsanuphius and John. "Guidance Toward Spiritual Life: Answers to the Questions of Disciples.". Letter 421. Question...

Delusive Visions Due to the Wrong Way of Prayer

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The Letters of Saint Ambrose of Optina. On the harmful effects of improper prayer, and that the inconceivable Divinity should not be ima...

Expectation of Receiving Divine Gifts on Archangel Michael Feast

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The Letters of Saint Ambrose of Optina. You are writing that on the eve of Archangel Michael Feast, a fiendish thought came to you, pro...

True Dispassion Must Be Accompanied by Love

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Saint Maximos the Confessor. "Four Hundred Texts on Love". From Philokalia, Vol. 2. Third Century. 73. He who speaks dispass...

Why Demons Attack Us

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Saint Maximos the Confessor. "Four Hundred Texts on Love". Second Century. From Philokalia, Vol. 2. 67. There are said to be ...

About False Dispassion

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Saint John Climacus. "The Ladder of Divine Ascent". Step 26. Demons and passions quit the soul entirely or for some length of...

Saint Maximos Kavsokalyvites on the Signs of Illusion and Grace

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Saint Maximos Kavsokalyvites on Noetic Prayer. Sts. Maximos and Gregory A native of Lampsacus on the Hellespont, Saint Maximos bec...

Who May Receive Revelations in Dreams

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Saint Nikitas Stithatos. "On the Inner Nature of Things and on the Purification of the Intellect: One Hundred Texts". From Phi...

The Enemy Tries to Imitate All Good Things

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Saint Symeon Metaphrastis. "Paraphrase of the Homilies of Saint Makarios of Egypt". VI The Freedom of the Intellect. From Phil...

The Devil Is Most Apt and Powerful in Promoting Vanity and Haughtiness

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Saint Symeon Metaphrastis. "Paraphrase of the Homilies of Saint Makarios of Egypt". III Patient Endurance and Discrimination. ...

Higher Forms of Contemplation Require Complete Dispassion

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Saint Theognostos. "On the Practice of the Virtues, Contemplation and the Priesthood". From Philokalia, Vol. 2. Do not try t...

God Teaches Us to Be Guided by Those Who Are Advanced on the Way (On Discernment)

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Saint John Cassian. "On the Holy Fathers of Sketis And on Discrimination". Written for Abba Leontios. From Philokalia, Vol. 1. ...
Wednesday, March 28, 2012

False Angel Tried to Deceive Saint Pachomius

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From the Living of Saint Pachomius the Great. Chapter XLVIII On one occasion when he shut himself away from everyone in solitude, the ...

Icon of the Mother of God "Addition of Mind"

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About icon "Addition of mind". The icon "Addition of Mind" appears to be quite unusual among Orthodox icons ...

One True Vision Was Followed By a Number of False Ones

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Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain. "Spiritual counsels." Volume 3. Spiritual struggle. (translated from Russian) ...
Sunday, January 29, 2012

Noetic Prayer Is Incompatible with Concealment of Thoughts

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Elder Joseph the Hesychast. "Monastic Wisdom". From Letter 55. Elder Joseph the Hesychast Heart prayer is not susceptible to ...

Saint Nicetas of the Kiev Caves Got over Delusion

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Living of Saint Nicetas of the Kiev Caves, Bishop of Novgorod. January 31, old style/ Febriary 13, new style and April 30, old style/ May 13...

It Is Impossible to Escape Delusion without Confession

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Extracts from the book by Archimandrite Sofronii. " Saint Silouan the Athonite". Saint Silouan the Athonite Beware these two thoug...

How to Avoid Delusion

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Elder Joseph the Hesychast. "Monastic Wisdom". Elder Joseph the Hesychast My child, hear about another delusion.  There are a...

Fear During Divine Service Because of Unconfessed Sins

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The Letters of Saint Ambrose of Optina. Saint Ambrose of Optina I have received your letter dated 30 September. You write about yourself in...

True Visions From God are Often a Consolation in Suffering

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Elder Joseph the Hesychast. "Monastic Wisdom". Elder Joseph the Hesychast So, my priest, that lady you wrote about is a holy...

Saint Silouan the Athonite Overcame Delusion

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Archimandrite Sofronii. "Saint Silouan, the Athonite". Saint Silouan, the Athonite I myself was twice deluded. Once the enemy show...

Healing through Ignoble Obediences

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Hieromartyr Archimandrite Kronid (Lyubimov). "Trinity Lavra flowers from the spiritual meadow." Hieromartyr Kronid (Lyubimov...

The Man Who Engages in Prayer without Spiritual Director or Who Does not Trust His Confessor, Falls into Delusion

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Archimandrite Sofronii. " Saint Silouan the Athonite". On Prayer He who loves the Lord is ever mindful of Him, and the thought of...

The Tactics of the Devil – Either Belittling or Increasing the Severity of a Sin

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Saint Barsanuphius of Optina. Do you know the Devil's tactics? You really need to know it. When the Devil knows that some man has a sin...

Nothing So Harms a Monk As Hiding His Thoughts from His Spiritual Father

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Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos. "Orthodox psychotherapy." Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos An effective method of gettin...

Frequent Communion Because of Self-conceit

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Hieromartyr Bishop Arseny (Zhadanovsky). "Spiritual Diary". Hieromartyr Bishop Arsenius (Zhadanovsky) Once I was told about the ...